Danielle (Dani) O'Rourke's gala evening at the Devor Museum ends in a catastrophe when the body of a young artist plummets from her office window. The police label it murder and suspect Dani, the museum's chief fund-raiser.

Self-preservation and an insider's understanding of how money moves the art world drives her to investigate who might have a motive for murder. Dani's playboy ex-husband and a green-eyed cop complicate matters as her search moves through the fashionable worlds of San Francisco and Santa Fe.

Book Review:

One of the most difficult things about reviewing books is what to do when presented with a book which uses devices and has a style that is normally something I'd avoid, due to personal preference. Doesn't mean that it's a bad book, and it certainly doesn't mean that the book won't have a legion of fans (in fact it probably should just about guarantee it). I'm also aware that problems are considerably more obvious when there's other things going on that aren't working for a reader.

Needless to say, MURDER IN THE ABSTRACT is not the sort of book I would normally read. In fact I'd probably go a long way in avoiding such a book, but in the event that an author is kind enough to offer a copy, I feel duty bound to read.

The only way I can think to handle this is to discuss the elements that make up the book. Firstly the author has created a first person voice, in the central character of Dani O'Rourke. Dani is a fund-raiser for the Devor Museum, forced into the role of investigator not just because the death of an artist occurred from the window of her office. It's a rather brave step that - using a first person narrator. An author is placing a lot of faith in their character to be somebody that appeals to the reader. That's not to say that you necessarily have to like the character, but you do have to be able to get inside their head, identify with their actions and their opinions.

From there we have a plot which is a combination of a police investigation at the start which morphs into a classic amateur detective scenario. Dani is, however, less of an investigator and more of somebody who, being intimately involved with the dead, and having that connection of her office being the scene of the crime, sort of functions as a bit of a catalyst for events that occur around her. I'm not even sure I'd go so far as having her discover things, rather she's the sort of person who seems to cause things to happen around her, right up to the end with the grand confession scene. I'm not sure that anybody is going to have a lot of trouble picking the why of the ultimate conclusion, but the who has a bit of a twist in the tail.

Whilst the pace of the story is very good, there are some elements to the colour and movement which don't stand too much consideration. Why the police investigation suddenly disappears into the background. How somebody who on one hands thinks themselves to be somehow too close to the action, can then see things that don't quite add up in her immediate environment, but never actually put two and two together and come up with some observations. How it is that one of the major suspects in a crime freely moves around great tracts of the countryside... none of those elements quite made sense when considered clearly.

My personal problems with the book could very well be more about me than the book itself. I'm not much of a fan of light, fluffy, chatty, girly chick-lit style books - for it to work for me there's got to be a deft touch of humour, and humour is very much a personal thing. I'm also not the sort of person who does "brands". So discussions of handbags, shoes, clothes, fingernails, put me off... really badly, unless, again, there is a discernible sense of humour about the whole thing. Perhaps because of those elements, I saw a lack of depth in the plot and the characterisations, which could be a whole lot less of a problem for somebody who really enjoys the overall style.

When a famous, but hated, movie producer seems to have been killed by the very film technique he claimed to have invented, journalist Peter Caridman turns detective. The tightly woven plot, against a glamorous Canberra background, moves to a brilliant conclusion.

In the heady days of the seventies, and at the tender age of nineteen, Decca Brand experimented with what was on offer - sex, drugs and intrigue. Far too much intrigue, it turns out, and of a sort that spells murder. Fast forward nearly thirty years and Decca is confronted by dangerous figures from her past. Not only that, the stunning psychologist and divorcee has a blind date lined up with a married man. And then things start to get complicated.

"...I'll give you all the dirt darling..." K.C. Gordon can't wait to find out what her old school friend Angelique means by this cryptic comment. But before they meet someone cuts short the life of international model Angelique Lanci in a hail of bullets. Loved by few, despised and envied by many, Angelique instigated infidelities, salacious gossip, betrayal and jealousy. But did she deserve to be gunned down in her own home? As K.C.

This is the trip of a lifetime and K.C. is going to use this holiday to recharge, relax and meet new people. As the passengers assemble on the platform, waiting to board one of Australias most historic trains, The Ghan, K.C.'s curiosity begins to work overtime. This cast of characters could add colour to her latest romance novel. Maybe she could find inspiration in their stories? One passenger in particular catches K.C.'s eye - a sleek figure in a black Armani suit looking every inch the social identity. It is Bianca Bernini, renowned gossip columnist.

Hollywood's hottest property, Camilla Page, has just wrapped up the shoot of her latest movie and she's chosen an exclusive Barrier Reef island resort as the setting for her surprise wedding to Australian cameraman, Jimmy Ryder - a man hell-bent on riding the gravy train that's come his way. Amongst the invited guests are people Camilla has used as rungs while climbing her ladder of success: her long-time agent; the director of her latest film; the ageing leading man; and K.C.

Mr Wong is a breath of fresh air to the mystery genre. He is a feng shui master who just happens to solve mysteries while giving his clients interior decorating advice as a geomancer; its all about noticing negative chi energy accompanied by simple observations. All Mr Wong wants to do is quietly write a book on oriental wisdom, snippets of which can be found preceding each chapter. Unfortunately his quiet life is shattered when he is forced to take on an assistant, Jo McQuinnie, the daughter of a friend of his boss and a typical western teenager – loud, bubbly and speaking incomprehensible colloquial English.

THE FENG SHUI DETECTIVE is the first in a series of books starring Wong and Jo. Rather than one single plot line through the book there is a progression of different cases, each with its accompanying starter of Feng Shui history. It is a perfect blend of fun and philosophy, a blend of east meets west and each becomes the richer for it. Based in Singapore, the two unlikely partners travel to Malaysia, India, Hong Kong and finish up in a monastery in Vietnam as they take on the different cases. Wong tries to come to grips with with mastery of the English language through Jo, but his attempts to understand Jo’s lingo or mimic it are comical. His initial scepticism of how a young, loud woman could be of any use to him is understandable. But his opinion slowly changes from apprehension to approval as they work through each successive case, each contributing to solving the mystery.

This is a wonderful, intelligent and very funny mystery which will appeal to a broad range of readers who will learn many helpful feng shui tips along the way.

A COTSWOLD MYSTERY is light reading without being too cosy. There is a cast of interesting characters and the descriptions of Blockley and its history make the reader want to visit the area. The relationship between Thea and Jessica in particular is well portrayed. The pair are close, but their relationship is frequently prickly so there are flare ups and squabbles. It is just what you’d expect from a strong-minded mother and daughter.

I liked Thea and Jessica a great deal and found the mystery to be engrossing. If there is a criticism of the book it is that perhaps the resolution felt a little rushed, but it is a minor quibble. A COTSWOLD MYSTERY is Rebecca Tope’s fourth in the Cotswold Mystery series.

Private investigating is what Mavis Levack has in mind, but unlike private investigators in those TV shows, Mavis doesn't have people conveniently dropping dead at her feet. Also, there's her husband Eddy, calling her a busybody when really she is just an acute observer of human nature.

Book Review:

Personally I think I agree with Eddy - Mavis is a busybody. She's also a bored housewife, living in a flat with her retired husband, desperate for something to break the monotony of life. When Claudia Valentine drops in to peak through the curtains as part of her investigation in The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender, Mavis is intrigued - and she's unstoppable.

This is a series of short stories all about Mavis and the way that she can manage to turn anything into an investigation - if the dead bodies aren't dropping at her feet - then she'll chase down your missing garden gnome for you. Teetering close to suffocatingly cosy, Day keeps Mavis just this side of slappable by giving her a startingly active sex life and a good sense of humour, these short stories are light, amusing and entertaining. Definitely one for fans of the light-hearted.